The Saga of Rolling Codes

Have you ever wondered why your garage door remote won’t open all the other garage doors on the block? Well, as garage doors became more and more popular in the 1960s and 1970s, that actually WAS a problem.

The first solution was to create fixed code systems that provided binary switch combinations along with RF codes. This meant that a door would open only if it heard both the right frequency and the right code. However, as we entered the digital age, thieves came up with technical workarounds.

To combat this, manufacturers devised a system of “rolling codes.” With rolling codes, the remote and the receiver each generate a code in a specific order. Every time the remote is used, it generates a new code. As long as the remote is in sync with the receiver and they both move to the same new code, the door goes up. The majority of modern doors still use this system today.

While rolling codes have been great for door security, they’ve posed a real challenge for the smart home. It’s a challenge to create devices that can connect both to Wi-Fi AND learn a system for generating rolling codes.

This is something that we’ve been hard at work developing with the Bond, and we’re proud to say that we’ve found a solution.

Until now, if you wanted a smart garage, you had to buy a whole new opener unit, or wire in a supplemental piece of hardware to connect to Wi-FI and use remotely. In the coming months, however, the Bond will possess this capability.

We’ve already “cracked the code” on RF ceiling fans. Garage doors are the next step and we’re excited to be rolling this functionality out to you very shortly.

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About Olibra

Olibra develops technologies designed to connect traditional household devices – like ceiling fans, air conditioners, and garage doors – to the smart home. Our flagship product, the Bond, is the first to connect both RF and IR remote-controlled devices, and it is fully compatible with voice-activated smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home.